The Show Riding Horse - What is it?

Wednesday, 3 June 2009

‘The Philanderer’ is a fantastic example of a large riding horse. At only seven years of age, he was first and champion at the British Horse of the Year Show 2008. He was also Supreme Ridden at the Royal International Horse Show 2008. Other championships include Supreme PUK(S) champion, East of England, Towerlands and he was Sidesaddle winner at Royal Windsor.

The past few show seasons have seen some exciting developments in the New Zealand showing world, with a selection of competitions around the country choosing to experiment with new classes. One of the most talked about classes is for the Show Riding Horse. The introduction of this particular class has been driven predominantly by well known New Zealand showing personality, Elizabeth Charleston (aka Lizzie), who initially added the class to the Tielcy Park schedule in 2006, before getting it included in both the Waikato’s World and Waikato Showing Championships schedules.

‘I competed in South Africa for five or six years, where Riding Horses have been a fixture of showing schedules for quite some time,’ said Lizzie. ‘When I came to New Zealand, I looked at the horses and the different types and saw that a lot of people had problems when it came to deciding which class their horse should be in.’

Establishing a new showing section has not been easy. The Kiwi reaction to the prospect of the Riding Horse class has been split down the middle. Some believe that another class is not necessary- that both the Hack and Hunter classes cater for all of the types adequately. Others are thrilled about the prospect of an additional class as they own horses that they feel are good quality animals but don’t fit into any of the existing show categories.

Interestingly, there was also a huge amount of disgruntlement among show riders and producers in the United Kingdom when the idea for the Riding Horse class was first introduced there. The purists were horrified and the professional yards claimed that they wouldn’t have anything to do with them. However, with the hard work of Jennifer Williams, founder of the infamous Pendley Stud and tireless advocate of the Riding Horse, the sceptics were proved wrong and in 1983, the British Show Horse Association added Riding Horses to its classes. Now, it is probably the most popular class offered by shows in the UK.

One of the biggest challenges facing show organisers is lack of understanding of the new show type.

‘We have had a tough time educating people on what they should be looking for in the Show Riding Horse,’ explains Lizzie. ‘It’s really important that people understand that this type of horse is not a hack-along pleasure animal. It should be just as full of quality as the Show Hack but a little more substantial.

‘Funnily enough, when the British judges come over to judge at our Horse of the Year Show they tell us that a lot of our Show Hacks could be shown as top quality Show Riding Horses,’ added Lizzie. ‘We know we have quality, typey horses that could do fantastically well in this new class- now it’s just a case of spreading the word, educating competitors and encouraging them to bring their horses out and give it a go. The more people we can get on board to support innovative new classes like these, the better!’

For more information on the Show Riding Horse, you can visit the British Show Horse Society website at: www.bhsa.org.uk.

A Guide to the Show Riding Horse (courtesy of the British Show Horse Association)

Height:

In the UK, the Riding Horses are divided into two sections: Small and Large. A Small Riding Horse is anything exceeding 148cm (14.2hh) and not exceeding 158cm (15.2hh). A Large Riding Horse is any horse over 158cm (15.2hh)

Type:

It is often said that the Riding Horse is somewhere between the Lightweight Hunter and the Show Hack, and that it does not have the substance and strength of the hunter, nor the elegance and daintiness of the hack. A far better description is that it has the stride and gallop of a quality lightweight hunter combined with the obedience, manners and schooling of the Hack.

A good riding horse need not only perform in the show ring but has the bone and substance to be found in the hunting field, or going cross country, three day eventing, or merely taking its rider for an enjoyable hack round the countryside.

Conformation:

The Riding Horse should have plenty of good quality, flat bone, be deep through the girth and have strong powerful second thighs and a well rounded backside, lots of muscle and strength, short across the loins and with the length of back concentrated on the quarters, so that you have a powerful engine. They need to be able to gallop. A very sloping shoulder is excellent, so there is plenty to sit behind and the horse is able to have a long stride, with a neck coming out of the top of the withers and a good length, narrowing elegantly behind the head so that the head and neck are not restricted by a fat thick structure. The horse needs to be able to flex and bridle happily and comfortably, and be able to breathe easily while being ridden in collection.

The body should be in proportion and foursquare, the legs, especially viewed from the front should not appear too close, or too wide. The horse should move straight, without dishing or plaiting and stand straight on all four legs on good well shaped feet.

A good looking head is very desirable, but there is quite a lot of variation; from a dished slightly Araby head, to a longer straighter, more thoroughbred head, what is not wanted is a tiny pony head or anything with a common cobby aspect, Roman nose or bumps between the eyes!

Way of Going:

When watching the go round judges look for a horse which is walking with a long and easy stride, covering the go round well, swinging its shoulder freely and tracking up well. They want to see a longer rein walk, not a horse pulled in with its head scrunched up to its chest. The horse should be swinging its head slightly in time to the walk and have its head in front of the perpendicular, ears pricked and a happy, calm look.

At the trot they look again for a long swinging stride, the tail carried easily and swinging from side to side – the sign of a relaxed, swinging, working back – and a comfortable easy head carriage, with the bit held quietly in a wet mouth, no open mouths or grinding teeth – a particular hate. The head should be straight and in line with the direction, not tilted or crooked. They look especially for a steady rhythm or cadence, showing that the horse is working from behind and is carrying itself – not having its nose pulled in by the reins and kicked along all the time.

At canter it’s much the same. Judges look for a smooth slowish, steady canter which gives the impression the rider is totally at ease and the pair could swing along all day in superb comfort.

When gallop is shown ideally the horse only needs to show some definite lengthening of the stride and lowering along the long side of the ring, sliding into an easy gallop and out without fuss. Sadly this is not often seen; quite often they rush about with fast short strides. Galloping is not about racing or jumping off the corner as in a gymkhana, but showing lowering and lengthening – (this used to be called ventre-a-terre) in just half a dozen strides and a calm return to slower paces.

Presentation:

Show Riding Horses are traditionally shown in brown tack with a coloured browband, although the browband should be more discreet than what a Hack or Riding Pony would wear. Double bridles or Pelham bits are used. However, a snaffle is acceptable in novice classes. Saddles should be straight-cut to show off the horse’s shoulder. Manes should be plaited, tails pulled and legs and faces trimmed.

Riders usually wear a tweed jacket, with shirt and matching tie, buff/canary coloured breeches, a navy hat and black long leather boots. Show canes are generally carried.